New Vegas: Conclusions
by Benjamin Booker
Summary: 10 years after the battle of hoover dam the Courier and president reflects on the state of his nation. One shot about how the mojave develops as a independent nation - Made a few small edits, thanks to the community for pointing my mistakes out


"One...two...three!" We flung the dead body to fall in line with the others already laying on the desert floor. The sniper standing next to me looked down at the ten dead men and spit on the ground in disgust. He looked over to me and eyed the silenced .45 on my hip. We both knew what I was going to do next and I was never sure if he was disgusted or approved of my macabre habit. He glanced down at the bodies once more and spoke softly

"I'll go look around the camp see if there's anything useful" I nodded and pulled the pistol from my side. I checked the load in it and it still had seven bullets. I brought the head of the first dead legionnaire into my sights and pulled the trigger. It was a habit I had picked up in Zion, fighting the white legs, I didn't find any enjoyment in the process but it sent a message to the bastards. I had only done this fighting my really horrible enemies the legion and the white legs. I did this with the rest of the bodies putting a bullet in each. I finally came to the largest son of a bitch in the whole group, Legate Lanius, he was a tough one to put down but Boone and I had done it. I squatted down on my knees and looked at his grim helmet. It reminded me of the faux helmets that had hunted me in the divide. I tugged it off of his head and looked upon his god given face. Surprisingly he was very pale, must have been all that time in his helmet. A surprised snort escaped my lips, he had one of the stupidest mustaches I had ever seen. Boone looked over at me and scowled. I dragged his body in line with the rest of the legion dead. I put a bullet in his skull to. I looked down at my armor, pulled a bandanna out of my pocket and wiped some blood off the armor. It was solid gear I had acquired in Zion, belonged to Randal Dean Clark and Sggt. Vickers before him. I was proud to wear it.

"You find anything Boone?" I called out. He didn't reply so I headed up the hill to the command tent. I lifted the flap to the tent and let my eyes adjust to the dim interior. I saw Boone crouched in a corner over a human form. I put my hand on my holster ready to draw. "Boone" I whispered "What'd you find?" He did turn but replied

"It's a salve, she was tied up" I stared at his back and eased my hand back from my pistol and walked over to the corner of the tent.

"Well let's grab her and bring her back with us, make sure she's alright" It wasn't the best plan but after fighting the largest battle of my life its all I could come up with. He nodded and took the battered woman by the hand. I turned to look around the tent while he was tending to the woman. I searched through the files on the table and I found useful notes on Legion positions and even important information on Legion positions in the east. I shoved it into small drop pockets on my belts pairing it with the information on the NCR i had aquired in hoover dam. Boone looked over at me and narrowed his eyes

"What did you find?" He asked. I vaguely gestured at him with the papers and answered

"Looks like some notes on the legion should be useful in the future" Boone turned back to uncut the female slave and muttered

"The Future", we had used to have arguments on the future of the Mojave in the past but since revisiting bitter springs things had calmed down. I shook my head and continued to search the tent. There was little more there and I held the tent flap open for Boone and the girl as the exited. The sunlight pierced my dark adjusted eyes and I took my helmet off my face. My beard itched and I scratched it, my hair had been going prematurely gray and it made me look ten years older 38 instead of 28. I had been growing it out and it became excessively itchy when I wore my full desert ranger armor. We walked back down the hill passing the row of bodies the woman let out a yell, I wasn't clear as to whether it was of fear or joy. I walked through the pit in the middle of the legate's camp and I looked down at the blood that was spilled on the ground. There was a good deal of it thankfully from dead praetorian guards and not from either Boone or I. When we made it to the gate I stopped, I glanced around, something seemed wrong, I couldn't place it, almost as if. Thats when a enormous explosion rocked the gate and I was thrown flat on my back. My ears were ringing and my vision was going blurry. I braced myself on my elbows getting up. The amount of dust was impressive and I could barely see, but I could make out some forms approaching towards me out of the dust. A grin split my chapped face

"General Oliver, come to win the war have you?" I stood up and reached out to shake his hand, thats when five ncr rangers veterans leveled their rifles at my from within the cloud of dust. "Or maybe not" I said and Oliver looked me up and down and exclaimed

"Caesar on the cross, It's been a long time since I've seen the type of work you laid down today... a damn long time!" I stared at him blankly, I didn't think he understood who I was fighting for, I had done the NCR some favors but he seemed to think I was some sort of special operative. He continued speaking as I stared at him "and the screams of those legion bastards as they kicked dirt running east...like a choir of angels to my ears, speaking of that was some crazy lightshow you called down over the fort! What the fuck was that some thumb of god you called down? Amazing, fucking amazing! Could use a hundred of you scatter you over the east like jacks give those plumb fucks the what for!" The smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion began to clear and I could begin to make out what the dust had previously hidden. I grinned like a wolf and said

"Really, you won't believe what happens next" He frowned and turned to see what I was looking at. I could see his skin visibly pale as he asked taking in all the silent securitrons

"Um...well...hello there smiley I say are these boys with you?" I nodded my head and grinned as I answered

"Yes General, every last one of them is with me" He turned to survey the small army of securitrons he slowly pulled a brown tube from his coat and the securitrons collectively aimed their gun arms at him. He put his hands in the air and called out

"Whoa there boys, I was just reaching in my coat for a cigar" I walked toward him and plucked the cigar out of his hand. I unwrapped the small cigar, took the lighter I had earned in boulder city and lit the cigar. It was very high quality and I enjoyed it for a moment before turning my attention back to Oliver.

"General the Dam is mine, I claim it for New Vegas, both Caesar's Legion and the New California Republic have lost this day" I said with finality. He stared at me his eyes turning from uncomprehending to furious in a matter of seconds. He began to speak and it slowly turned into a yell,spit flying from his mouth

"I would sooner spit on the grave of my dead mother than let some walk the wasteland type fuck speak to me like that" He stood there and fumed before resuming his rant "Who the hell do you think you are anyways? Looking to cash your chips to the sound of NCR bullets eh? I can oblige" He turned to scream at his men but I quickly interrupted him.

"General,look" I said speaking around my cigar "There's been enough blood today, and enough blood spilt in the mojave in general, we don't need to start a gunfight right here and now" He continued to stare at me as if I had gone crazy and responded

"No you look! I can tell you're riding high right now but let me tell you, you are NOT just pissing on me you are pissing on the bear, and I know you've been far enough west to know how far it's claws stretches. Fuck with the bear and" I sliced my hand through the air and snarled at him

"The NCR has outstayed its welcome in this land, this is not a land that is disputed, this is not a land that is a battleground, this land is now a sovereign nation and your troops are not welcome" He stared at me and then back at the securitrons. His upper lip curled back and he spit on the blood stained ground before saying

"No I came for a fight today and if you're looking to make me budge, you better have a damn good left hook or I'm not going any where" I had a large army that needed neither sleep food or any other human needs but I decided if you're going anywhere might as well go big, so I bluffed "Left hook Oliver, you wanna see my left hook, you remember that barrage of nuclear fire that was dropped on the Legion, that was me, and the first time I decided to forego dropping nuclear bombs on the west but by god if you decide to try and strong arm me that is exactly how the fuck I will respond." He stared at me baffled, no one knew why the bombs had dropped or where they had came from and I had kept the information very quite. But after my absence from the Vegas strip I had returned, and the rumors spread but I never commented on them. This seemed to take Oliver aback and it actually stopped him. I smiled viciously and continued "That's about all the left hook I got, but if thats not enough I can call back my 'thumb of god' as you put it, or maybe I can call up the whole fucking army I pulled up from under the fort" I threw my arms open wide to encompass the legate's camp "Or maybe you can ask the Legion about my left hook, but it'll be hard to find any here, cause lets see" I began to count off on my fingers "Nelson is devoid of those bastards, Cottonwood Cove is an irradiated hole in the ground, Caesar is ashes in his own camp, and the Legate over there has a 45 slug in his head" I smiled at him and threw the cigar on the ground. He stared at me for a moment took his cap off his head and rung it in his hands before violently throwing it on the ground. He sighed defeatedly

"This has been a fuck of a day" He glared at me and shoved his finger in my face "Do you know what you are doing? Making a nation like you think you're doing, it ain't like chowing down on a pile of snack cakes. You think you've got the guts to carve out a frontier, build towns, maintain supply lines, train troops?" I looked at him and picked up his hat handing it back to him and letting the anger seep out of my voice.

"With all due respect sir, I truly believe that this is the best possible future for the mojave" He shook his head and rubbed out the cigar with his boot. He glanced up at the sky and muttered

"How did we manage to get suckered by a road jockey, should have been watching the flank while Caesar's best was making that noise, I'm not eager to toss lives at your robots just to prove a point, if you're taking this place you better hold you can, I'll give my superiors my opinion but I don't think they'll listen, so if NCR comes at you and they will, pray you're ready, I promise you if our situations we're reversed I'd see you hang" I laughed loudly and replied

"Would you now" I lowered my voice and responded in an even tone " I will keep that in mind if we happen to meet again, I will provide NCR full amnesty in pulling their troops out for a week, but only troops, no supplies those are mine." His eyes widened but then they were cast down to the desert floor. I reached my hand forward and grasped his. "Good luck and godspeed General" I was about to let his hand go but I held it for a moment longer and said "Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat, Winston Churchill" He stared at me for a moment his mouth open slightly before turning and walking away with his rangers by his side. Boone walked up to my side and said tersely

"I hope you know what you're doing, these won't be easy years ahead" I looked at Boone then down at my blood stained gloves

"Trust me Boone I know"

I looked at myself in the mirror, I inwardly asked myself when I started to look like such an old man. It had only been ten years since I had first noticed the gray in my beard but now it had totally gone snow white. I settled the hand crafted suit around me and I headed up to the lucky 38 penthouse to meet with my advisors. I walked out of the bathroom of the presidential suite and into the greeting area. I checked my appearance once more in the mirror. White beard down to my neck and matching white hair pulled back behind my head, the suit matched it all quite well. I turned around to see a woman standing in the doorway, hair still missed by sleep, even when still bleary eyed by sleep she was extremely good looking, I thought back to when Boone and I had rescued her all of ten years ago.

"Good morning lovely" I said "Coffee is in the pot and I have to be off to the meeting" She stumbled into the kitchen and I called down the elevator. The doors opened and I shook my head, even with finding that godforsaken geck in that vault in the northern wastes it was extremely difficult to get coffee to grow. While riding up the elevator I looked through a binder I had brought with me quickly reviewed the developing situations throughout the Mojave Commonwealth. The flag on the front of the binder was an eagle flying over S.P.Q.R. I leafed through the pages and my brow furrowed, things needed to be taken care of. The elevator dinged shocking me out of my concentration. I stepped out of the metal box and into the penthouse. I looked out the window and saw green fields greeting me, its what made Vegas the prosperous nation that it was. After I dropped bombs on the legion they cracked and after the defeat at the damn they broke. Not too long after that people began drifting to the Mojave. We openly welcomed any women of children but we we're very weary of the men assuming that they Legion soldiers. It was a lengthy integration process but it worked. And now the fields of the great basin were budding with greenery and those who we suspected of being ex legion or NCR plants were there farming, we made it work. I walked down the stairs to the long wooden table. Nobody had entered yet and I was early just the way I like it. I walked under the wide stairs to the liquor cabinet underneath it, I grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured myself a shot, I downed it and my vision fell on the back of the cabinet. My mind would never let me forget, even with the wooden cabinet in front of it the hidden room still stank of a rotten and decomposing corpse to .House never did have to dream that he was important. Over the years I had been told that the room and the cabinet had no smell but I could never shake it. I shook my head and turned back to look out the window, my city made me proud it wasn't an easy course to this point but we'd made it. I turned around when I heard the elevator open. When I saw the woman come down the stairs I exclaimed

"And how is my favorite brotherhood envoy?" She gave me a smile and shook her head saying

"I have a name ya'know" I grinned at her and asked playfully

" then?" She snorted out a laugh and shoved me lightly in the shoulder. She said grinning

"I would I regret going to get her just because of the endless teasing but it'd still be worth it" I nodded my head in mock agreement.

"Yeah, yeah we should have never gone, it was a total waste of time anyways" She was winding up for another punch when the elevator doors opened. We both cocked our heads and listened for any foots falls. Only silence greeted our ears. "Ten to one its Boone" She nodded her head and to see his uniform descending the staircase. I saw his polished boots then I was able to take in the rest of him. The transition from sniper to field marshal was a tough one for him but now his uniform fit him well. His face still looked pained and tight but I had given him a purpose after the legion, after the dam, and most importantly after Carla. His awards and medals ranked him as the highest officer in the militia, the army of securitrons made up the actual Army of New Vegas. But the Militia was the heart of Vegas, it gave people pride, it gave them something human to put their faith in.

"Field Marshal" I called out "A pleasure and a joy as always" He nodded saying nothing, as per his usual fashion. We shook hands and he headed to the conference room. I braced on the railing looking north. The sight of the northern passage summoned memories of Zion and of Joshua Graham. My mind gave me visions of dead white legs and the fleeing form of Salt upon wounds. I had managed to stay Joshua's hand by some miracle and my actions had seemed to bring the man some modicum of peace, even if the legend of the burned man died. I shook my head and turned around to handle the business at hand. I stepped on the stairs when the sound of the elevator doors interrupted me again. I turned to see the head of the new vegas R&D departments, and Julie Farkas They both smiled and I grinned "You too are looking as lovely as the day I first saw you" Julie laughed and her companion scowled. She poked him in the side saying

"Arcade lighten up" Both Julie and Arcade had changed in the past years. With the influx of medical supplies and full support of the government the Followers had flourished, but after the remnants made their play at the damn I had asked Arcade to stay on and aid the commonwealth. Grudgingly he agreed, the stress had worn him thin in places. But with the help of minds like Thomas Hildern, Doctor Usanagi, and the greatest technology I could find The New Vegas Commonwealth was on the cutting edge of technology. Official trips to the Divide and the Big empty also became commonplace. Memories like those made me shudder. But most of the risks were worth it, we were the most powerful nation in the southwest. Arcade coughed bringing my attention back to the present.

"There are too many projects on my mind to" he made air quotes with his fingers "lighten up, we are almost ready to construct a facsimile of helios one to power the northern part of the great basin, and yet you" he stuck a finger in my chest "call me to your personal casino to give you a status report." He continued to huff as he walked down the staircase to the meeting room. I embraced Julie in a quick hug and followed arcade to the meeting room. I took a seat at the head of the table and addressed my advisors.

"We only have to wait for Cass to show up now, and knowing her that may take a while"I turned and grabbed the bottle of whiskey and passed it around to all of them before saying "So in the mean time friends, catch me up on what's going on in your world, no business yet" That brought a relaxed look to everyone except Boone. The bottle made its way back to me as I listened, I titled it back and sweet fire made its way to my stomach. Each had their own small victories and failures in their day to day life and I leaned back as they regaled me with their stories. We had been talking for half an hour when the elevator dinged. I looked up to the staircase waiting for a pair of feet to emerge. A pair of dusty cowboy boots clocked down the staircase

"Cass" I exclaimed "Always the height of punctuality" She grinned, flipped me the bird grabbing the bottle of whiskey with her other hand. She sat down taking a swig as her body rocked the chair. As she sat down I spoke

"As much fun as it would be to repeat ourselves, Cass, you showed up late and you've missed the fun part" smiling as I said it. She rolled her eyes and pulled a crumpled sheet of dusty paper from a back pocket. She unfolded it and ran it along the side of side of the table attempting to run the creases out of it. She looked up at me saying

"Great to see you again, but lets get this show on the road, I've got a whole lot of Brahmin ranchers and traders riding my ass, and not in the way I like" She gaining a chorus of laughter from around the table and I was surprised that even Boone smirked. I steepled my fingers on the table deciding what to attend to first. I broke the silence by calling on Julie Farkas

" , if you wouldn't mind catching me up on how the people are doing I would appreciate it." As Julie began to speak my imagination created visions that accompanied her reports. She told me of the vault 3 school, after Boone and I had cleared out the fiends then after the dead bodies had been hauled out as it was being repurposed as a school. Once the vault had been repaired and it stopped smelling like dead moto-runner it became the school I had hoped and even a community center. It was the followers that made it into what it was and judging by her report they were continuing to bring south vegas back to life. South Vegas, now instead of a haven to friends and drug runners, was an industrial and intellectual nexus for the whole of the commonwealth. I nodded thanking Julie for her report. I was glad there wasn't too much to report on her end, if there was it usually meant there was a new sickness or social disturbance on the rise. Ever since the kings had assimilated there was never any large fear of rioting or disturbances. Disease though I did fear, as I made it my business to lead effectively I also made it my business to know the history of the land. I was always afraid that the FEV virus would raise it's head, or some different strain of FEV, you never could anticipate how diseases would change. And no technology even that taken from big mountain could kill an entirely new virus. The thoughts of technology brought me to Arcade. After we had gathered the remnants for the battle at the Dam I had begun to ask more and more of him, pushing past the simple researcher to make the head of Commonwealth R&D, regular trips were made to big mountain with fewer trips made to the divide, although they were hellish places they had their uses. It also didn't hurt that the old remnants bunker was now the presidential Bunker. But more importantly due to Arcade's advances we had the ability to power most, if not all of the commonwealth. I motioned for him to speak and he said just as much. But what really had my attention was the second helios station that was being built. It was coming along, however slowly but using every resource we could muster there would soon be power stations at both the north and south ends of the territory. I beamed at Arcade then said

"Excellent news!, tell me if you need anything more, guess I really shouldn't have asked you all the way down here"

He glowered at me for a moment before saying

"You know for a while there I thought I was missing your company then I remembered how insufferable you are"

I grinned back at him before saying

"I'm glad to hear you're doing well" He sighed then I turned my attention to Boone. He was the field marshal of the militia, mostly the militia consisted of normal citizens that had undergone some formal training but that wasn't I was concerned with. The most important branch of the militia was the desert rangers,they were highly trained and could all shoot as well as Boone, they served as border guards, eyes and ears, and roaming trouble shooters to aid the people of the commonwealth. I had sacrificed my old armor to serve as a model for the rangers and the effect it had was impressive. People had begun to associate the armor with me and then they saw more and more of it, it gave them figure to rely on, something human to put their faith in. Also having the rangers roam the commonwealth just to help the people made them feel infinitely more safe, this was especially necessary in the more northern parts of the commonwealth as it wasn't as settled as the area around Vegas. Boone informed me of the border relations with the NCR. They were are only neighbor after the legion had broken. Things were mostly peaceful for the most part. There was one hot and dirty border war shortly after the battle of the Damn, I had sent everything I had into it and took a major part of southern California very quickly. After that peace talks were commenced and I gave back everything. The whole incident was a foolish pissing contest where I had to flex my muscle to gain the NCR's respect. Afterwards they respected the border and things resumed a more peaceful tone. There were still some small incursions into our territory but I was lenient for the most part. Boone reported that the rangers had sighted a few NCR rangers groups moving round the borders but that they were tracked daily and there was no reason to worry. I thanked him then looked at Cass, although I had no official position for her she was still one of my advisors and I kept her on retainer to keep an ear to the ground for news of merchants and cavaneers. She began to speak leading off with a larger amount of profanities that I thought possible in one sentence. Through the cursing I managed to decipher that things were running well trade was flowing and merchants were beginning to rebuild new canaan as a trading hub. I smiled at that, I held a soft spot in my heart for the new canaanites ever since I met Joshua Graham. If I was honest though a lot of that stemmed from my pity for Joshua himself, he was a good man, now at least, and he had suffered whole lot for one life. Cass then began to speak about the crimson caravan and the Van Graffs, who the NCR was just getting done punishing. It had taken a full ten years but she had finally gotten her revenge. Once she was done I nodded and stood up. I took another swig of whiskey and set the bottle back down on the table. I stood up and took the suit jacket off, setting it on the back of my chair. I stepped to the window and looked out over the commonwealth. Even though I had named it a commonwealth we had set it up as a Republic. In ten years it had grown, and it was ready to be exactly that a Republic. I turned around to face my advisors and said

"Okay, I think we're ready, Its been a damn good ride but now its time. elections need to happen within six months" They all let out various sounds of exhalation but they knew it was coming. They spoke among themselves quietly for amount before Arcade spoke up

"I think it'll be okay, a fresh start, terms limits on every single official, only those who are competent and worthy can obtain official positions" he let out a slightly shaky breath "I think all we'll do okay, you did well John" I turned back to them and said

"Okay thats it then, you all stay on as a security council for the next President and then…" I looked out over vegas once more. I spoke again facing toward the fields of the north "And then who knows"


End file.
